Toyko Disney March 7-11, 2012

Our trip didn't start out as smooth as we had hoped.  We boarded the plane only to be told we'd be delayed due to unscheduled maintenance.  A bit later we pulled away from the gate only to turn around and return for MORE maintenance.  At this time I was beginning to think our plane was doomed.  After several mechanics were in and out of the cockpit, and 2 hours passed, we were cleared to depart.  Of course, Nick was a perfect baby and asleep the entire time, only to awake as we began our take-off. Even though we departed just about the time we were supposed to be landing in Tokyo, the kids were troupers and very well behaved!!

After the stressful journey, we arrived safely to our magical room at the Hilton at Tokyo Bay.  Our room was decked out as a fairytale.  It had a magical key that lit up the lock while playing an enchanting melody.  The walls were painted with a mural telling a fairytale.  As the bathroom mirror began to fog up, the outline of a royal shaped mirror stayed fog free.  After exploring the room, we headed off to Chef Mickey!  As usual, Mickey was a fantastic chef.  The spread included asian dishes (Mickey shaped sushi) as well as the normal western ones for those of us who are less adventurous.   The dessert buffet did NOT disappoint.  The characters all stopped to greet us and take pictures.  Nick wasn't quite sure what to think of the characters.  He was more interested in eating.

For our first full day, we headed to Disneyland.  This is very similar to the Magic Kingdom.  The weather was cold, but it didn't stop us from having a great time.  We rode a ton of rides and met some characters.  We were kind of expecting the characters to be Japanese, but they weren't.  They were all very excited to see fellow westerners and be able to carry on a conversation.  Snow White and Prince Philip spent a long time talking and taking pictures with us.  

The experience of going to Disney is much different for the Japanese people.  The women were all decked out in skirts and very high heels.  A far cry from the running shoes and Crocs that us Americans hit the park in.  I never thought I would feel underdressed at a Disney park!

We concluded the evening with the electrical parade Dreamlights.  I didn't think a parade could get better than Disney World's but this topped it!  It was a parade on steroids.  Pictures do not do it justice, but it was amazing.

The second day we went to DisneySea.  This is like Epcot and Hollywood Studios rolled into one.  I think this is probably Disney's neatest park.  The weather was rainy, but it didn't matter once we stumbled upon King Triton's (from the Little Mermaid) Kingdom.  This was like an entire other park IN DOORS.  The theme was obviously 'Under the Sea'.  There were several rides, a playground, Ariel show and restaurant.  It was the perfect escape from the rain.

We went back to Disneyland the third day.  It rained, so with low crowds and the Fastpass system, the lines were pretty short.  The food situation was a bit of a challenge with the kids.  Most of food was asian and not kid friendly.  Thankfully our neighbors had warned us, so I came prepared with loaves of bread and jars of PB&J.  We did find a restaurant in Adventureland that overlooked the Pirates of the Caribbean.  It was a set 4 course dinner which everyone devoured!  There is a limit on the number of PB&J's one can eat in a weekend!

Our final day was spent back at DisneySea.  Thankfully, the weather was beautiful!  We were able to enjoy all of the outside attractions and scenery.

We ran into Jafar who tried to put a spell on Nicholas to put him to sleep.  All it did was scare him.  I can't image why!!!

The rest of our time at the park was spent strolling along the waterfront.

Despite the weather, we had a great time.  Of course we all came down with colds afterwards.  For my never ending cough, my Ayi made some kind of homemade 'tea'.  It was made from a lot of ginger, pears, apples, and other funky stuff.  She warned me that it would be a little spicy, but NOTHING could prepare me for how awful it tasted.  The only way I could describe it is that it tasted the way my brothers sweaty hockey socks used to smell.  DISGUSTING!!!  She made enough for a few days, so she poured the extra into a cup and put it in the refrigerator.  The pale yellow color resembled lemonade, which I didn't realize until Ed took a huge sip and shouted in agony. NOT what he was expecting!  But, he hasn't coughed since.  All I keep thinking of is the Calgon water softener from my childhood when the lady says "Ancient Chinese secret, huh!"  I think this will be one chinese secret that will stay in China!